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Encouraging Focus in Meetings

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Attending meetings is part of business, we all need to do it and some more than others and unfortunately, it’s not always a positive experience. The meeting could start late, causing frustration or run late which causes even more frustration, sometimes the topic might be boring, the venue uninspiring or the speaker has a monotone voice that just makes the time drag.

It doesn’t have to be this way, meetings can be fun, conferences can be focused and more importantly the content can be remembered. But what can businesses do to keep attendees focused in their meetings? Let’s explore.

Make Content Interesting

This might seem easier said than done but making content interesting is a key method of making meetings more engaging. Rather than just drone on about the subject, what’s relevant and interesting to the meeting – is there a weird fact you can throw in? Or can you dress up drab content with a good visual presentation.

Not only are attendees likely to pay more attention to good visual content, they’ve got a better chance of remembering it. A large proportion of the world are visual learners, so are better able to retain information that is presented to them in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Get People Involved

Rather than just having a speaker talk at attendees for hours, is there a way to attendees involved with the content? Having an activity which involves individuals moving around the room is good for boosting energy and attention levels and it makes people feel relevant to the meeting.

If there isn’t the opportunity for attendees to move around the venue (space restrictions, trip hazards etc.) then have them give feedback at the end of the meeting, employees feel more valued if they can have an input in activities.

Let Them Doodle

It might sound controversial, but studies suggest that doodling can be beneficial for retaining information. Let your attendees doodle their way through the meeting and for a fun and relaxed conclusion, you can share these drawings amongst each other.

If there’s someone that has doodled the subject of the meeting in a creative way, you may even have an interesting way to share information with the rest of the team.

Hold Meetings When Employees Are Well Rested

This can be a difficult accomplishment as some employees seem to function on little sleep and while they produce good work, their attention is often divided. While you can’t expect to police the sleep patterns of your employees, holding meetings in the afternoon and earlier on in the week has shown to be the most “awake time” for the average staff member.

Tuesdays afternoon are considered the peak positive meeting time, this ensures that most of the employees will be available (and not taking a long weekend) and productivity is at its highest.

Change Up the Meeting Format

Does the meeting need to be sit down inside or can you take the meeting outside? Whether it’s in a (safe) carpark or on a grassy patch, the outdoors can help employees feel more alert and awake, helping them retain information.

Not only that, you’ll sure to delight your employees by changing up the meeting format with something different and it’s particularly good for those warm, summer days when sitting in stuffy conference venues can be unbearable.

Hold Meetings in an Interesting Space

If your business has meeting rooms that are frequently in use, your employees might be giving them the side-eye. When you’re in a meeting, staring at the same four walls all the time, your attention levels start to fall, and focus goes out the window.

Where possible, hold your meetings in an external space that offers a bit of interest to the attendees. For instance, these conference rooms in a Nottingham events venue have lots of architecturally pleasing exposed beams and huge windows letting in plenty of natural light – perfect for keeping attention in the room.

Meetings may be a necessary “evil” of business but they certainly don’t have to stay that way. Work with your employees to make conferences and meetings more interesting and increase productivity across the board.

HubSpot